Though it had been all-but-revealed for some time now, DC today officially confirmed the identity of its latest gay superhero: Alan Scott, the original Green Lantern.

"He's very much the character he was. He's still the pinnacle of bravery and idealism. He's also gay," DC writer James Robinson told the New York Post.

As part of the ongoing relaunch of all DC monthly superhero titles, dubbed the New 52, Scott was rebooted as a younger, more modernly handsome version of his Golden Age counterpart. "The only downside of his being young was we lose his son, Obsidian, who's gay. So I thought, ‘Why not make Alan Scott gay?" Robinson said.

The higher-ups "signed off on it without hesitation."

Scott's sexuality won't be "the one identifying aspect of him," Robinson made clear. In fact, he never formally comes out as gay. "He's gay when we see him in issue two," Robinson told the Associated Press. "He's fearless and he's honest to the point where he realized he was gay and he said 'I'm gay'."

This was intentional: Robinson wanted readers to see Scott as a superhero whose numer one priority is protecting Earth.

"He's someone you would want to watch over your children," Robinson told USA Today. "Presenting that kind of a heroic role model hopefully will be a good thing and help to show gays in a positive light for people who might be a little more small-minded."

It's likely Robinson was referencing vociferous anti-gay group One Million Moms, which has preempted DC's announcement with a statement opposing the introduction of a new gay superhero.

"Why do adult gay men need comic superheroes as role models?" said the American Family Association-affiliated project in their statement. "They want to indoctrinate impressionable young minds by placing these gay characters on pedestals in a positive light. These companies are heavily influencing our youth by using children's superheroes to desensitise and brainwash them into thinking that a gay lifestyle choice is normal and desirable."

Previous efforts by the group to denounce gay comic book characters have resulted in those comics selling out.

Asked by The Advocate if additional gay characters are in Earth 2's future, Robinson said he is planning to introduce another character "down the line," but not for a while. "Alan Scott won't be the only gay character in Earth 2, I promise you that," he said.

A sneak peek of Earth 2 number 2 has been uploaded online, and you can check it out over here, courtesy of Joe My God.

[images via AP, Wikipedia]